debmsn01

like any other job i imitate the nurses i know are skilled & interact in ways that i respect. wow, could we all as nurses carry this quote out in our professionalism. i am a nursing instructor & i can believe & have seen, many times that nurses treat students very poorly, as they also do to new employees. the term "we eat our young" is very true & when i did my thesis on mentoring in nursing, i found the majority does this & it impacts greatly on recruitment/retention. i myself used to berate students for "not knowing" until one day in grad school i had an epiphany that of course they don't know what we experienced nurses know-it's taken us many years to get where we are. but, we should help them learn what we have experienced to make them better nurses who will one day care for us or our family. if you consider yourself a good nurse make sure you pass this legacy on through the students you mentor in your job. we may have trouble changing old minds, but we can shape the new minds coming out to promote this profession that i have a passion for. i get frustrated with students when they take a little longer than i may think is needed to catch on to a concept, but i try not to let it show because that just makes it more difficult for them. there are also students whom i have questioned why they want to be a nurse & that it may not be the best choice for them, they usually listen & make a change. when you base your decisions on the pay wages being advertised at 40+ per hour & see nurses on tv, the idea of nursing seems to good to not give it a try. so students hang in there & for all of us seasoned nurses-lets give them the help & understanding that we may not have gotten so that our legacy becomes one of nurturing our young rather than eating them.

I don't think anywhere is a perfect place to be a nurse at this time. The nursing shortage is here because many of us are not working due to the environment we work in. It is in every journal but yet management doesn't seem to respond to the porblems. The short fixes of spitting out new grads may help, but they will learn very soon & also will leave. Nurses no longer "put up" with unhealthy work places because we don't have to. Those who need to work for the support, begin to "just put in their time", which is not a healthy environment. Look into your state nursing association about change, many states are addressing these issues such as Oregon, Utah, Vermont & Wisconsin is working on a redesign of nursing to orchestrate better ways to recruit & RETAIN nurses and the healthy environment where we can practice quality nursing. GET INVOLVED!!!!!! :rotfl:

I have been on both sides of this so can speak positively for both. I chose to "quit" after being pushed into a corner for "insubordination"-you DO NOT want to work in a place that pushes you there. HOWEVER, I also worked in a hospital that had an ALL nurse staff, mainly RN's with 1-2 LPN's on each unit for 18 years & it was wonderful to do primary care. Our load was usually 4-6 patients for a 12 hour shift & our code rate went down dramatically because the nurses picked things up before they got bad. It made me appreciate the TEAM concept because you needed each other to help out when needed. I now have my MSN & have taught & presently do both teaching & Oncology nursing & I make sure my students can do primary care & I myself insist on doing my own cares for my patients even though the CNA's are "supposed" to. What better way to asses someone than to get them naked for a bath!! Good Luck in your future endeavors.-Debb

There in lies the answer, nurses must bring to light that the effectiveness of these changes & quality patient care are only feasible with adequate staffing. So speak up for staffing issues with your state nurses assoc., legislators & whomever else can help.

Yes it is an outdated policy, but it is making a come back due to many medication errors!! Having someone double check your meds, your calculations & such for meds, is an avenue of protecting yourself. When we stop taking it as a personel affront to our competence & look at it as a way to ensure safety to our patients, then we can see how benefitial it is to our practice. Just because we haven't been doing it, doesn't mean it is RIGHT. We falsely assume that because it is not required, we will be covered in case of an error-that has cost many nurses their right to practice or the lingering doubt of "if only, I would have checked it", & that is difficult to live with.

Yes it seems that JCAHO does make our lives hectic-for the 3 days they are present, plus the weeks prior to their arrival. Isn't it funny that the organizations are not concerned with those important points until they "need to be". In response to whitecaps: I do make a point of double checking critical meds with another nurse, I have for 24 years, it covers me & makes sure the patient is receiving the correct dose. Taking a few seconds to do this seems like alot-until something happens. We become so concerned with delegating our tasks, doing the paperwork, & other things that we forget the important things that need critical thinking application. I know staffing is bad in places, I have taken care of 5-6-7 patients in one shift, WITHOUT a CNA, PCT or LPN to assist. I didn't like it, so I quit after 23 years in the same organization. Speak out, get yourself involved in your State's nursing organizations, look at UNIONS!!! I do not advocate unions wholely, but if it can help- GO FOR IT!!! Nursing must become responsible for ourselves, no one else seems to worry about us, & *****ing about it in the lounge or at home gets you no where.

You are absolutely right, I would never sign or even verbally verify unless I see everything. Usually at the times of these meds, there are more than 1 nurse at a med station. I made a fellow staff member throw insulin away that was mixed & do it again so I could check each dose/type.

As a 24 year veteran of nursing and now as a nursing instructor, I don't think this is about "old school". It is as many have stated, "good nursing care". By double checking your meds such as insulin & heparin, you ensure safe & efficacious care to a patient. I carry my PDA with me at all times & still look up many of my drugs to make sure of any interactions, concerns, etc.. If a mistake is made, you probably didn't mean it, but will have to live with the outcome forever and it isn't easy. I have many friends who suffer with "what ifs" because they failed to have someone check something & a sentinel event occurred. Another thing is narcs-have someone check them also, it will also cover you if someone is diverting-you won't be suspect.-Debb, MSN, RN, OCN